In this ever growing visual culture where people are comfortable using color as a form of expression, there’s no better time for Pantone trends and hair color to collide. We’re still in the era of fashion minimalism, a lifestyle that encourages durable, purposeful wardrobe through quality fabrics in neutral tones:

white, black and grey. Believe it or not, the pastel and vivid hair trend feels right at home here, incorporating these serene colors into everyday wear via hair and nail color, instead of in the closet. Plus, neutral clothing provides a blank slate for color. Light pink hair + faded denim and white tee? A blogger’s dream!

I love it! What an amazing way to express yourself!

Thinking of heading pastel? Go for it!

But let's consider the professional facts and reality checks.

What's the truth behind the bright or pastel hair color trend?

We’re seeing the trend literally everywhere. From the super cool girl that served your breakfast this morning, to the red carpet.The challenge that I see as a top colorist is the fact that our guests, unfortunately, get a very unrealistic idea of what it’s like to rock these colors in real life.

What the guest is unaware of, is the fact that You’re seeing these celebrities just hours after the color application, because they obviously have the financial and schedule means to have the color constantly touched up."Fashion Tones" is the nickname that we’ve used to dub bright unnatural shades, or soft, fabricated, pastel colors.

Since these fashion tones; blue, pink, purple, green or any color you can invent with the color wheel, aren’t natural tones found living in the hair, they also do not remain in the hair.

These tones simply do not cling to the surface of the hair because they are unable to fully penetrate the hair shaft in the first place. It is important to consider the fact that if bold hues are what you are seeking, you will absolutely have to have the color maintenance at least every two weeks, or longer. A good rule of thumb is that the darker the selected fashion tone, the longer it will last. Deep, bold purple is going to last you a bit longer than a muted soft lilac.

When this happens with the downfall of maintaining the color tone at home, my professional advice is to introduce a take home personalized hair reconstructor by OLAPLEX #3 or any strong professional brand for our guests mixed with the same color formula done in the Salon, this way our customers are able to not only maintain their color but also repair it while in between visits.

Please see OLAPLEX Explained on my home page menu.

As professionals, our guests need to be warned against the major damage that can be incurred when going for a fashion tone. “You need to know that when doing these vibrant colors, it’s necessary to pre-lighten the hair to a pale blonde. It’s easy if your hair is naturally light. For darker hair it puts more stress on the hair to get the pale tones.”

This is why I always include OLAPLEX with my pastels which will add an extra fee to the service but completely guarantees perfect healthy and coloring results.

Many guests do not realize that their hair has to first be pre-lightened with the use of a bleach product, in order to achieve most of these tones. If you attempt to apply a fashion tone over top anything darker than that tone, you will simply not see any result, or a muted, mucky version of the desired tone.

Damage is definitely a major factor to take into consideration. The application of the fashion tone itself causes little to no damage at all, especially if a quality color line is used, as opposed to one with more of a metallic base. However, the enlightening with a bleach product, as we all know, can always cause a level of damage, especially if the desired tone is a pastel, which means the hair must be extremely light, almost a white blonde, to achieve the soft tone.

By no means, do I wish to steer you away from going after these fun and unique color trends, but it is so important to me as a professional to convey complete honesty to our guests prior to moving forward with a color service.

This transparency is important because just as you will discover with most salons, the price point of these services will not vary or decrease due to their lacking longevity. It’s important to understand that a professional colorist is paid by his time spent, so they must be compensated for each hour they spend behind the chair with you. Whether that time is spent to create an all over natural brunette tone, or an electric green, the same time is spent. Also, these fashion colors cost the same amount, in salon quality form, as their natural counterparts.

Any additional questions you may have prior to making the bold color trend plunge should be directed to your stylist during your consultation, as he or she will be more than happy to discuss the possibility of potential outcomes for your desired tone.I suggest you come in for a consultation before you book your appointment and allow a minimum of 3 hours for your first visit and longer for darker hair.